Breaking down A's-Tigers ALDS Game 3 lineups

DETROIT -- Aside from swapping Jed Lowrie and Josh Donaldson in the two and three spots, the A's lineup is exactly the same as it was in Game 2 in Oakland. Donaldson now bats second instead of third -- a move skipper Bob Melvin said he previously considered making during the first two games of the series.

Donaldson is 5-for-11 in his career against Tigers starter Anibal Sanchez, and Seth Smith -- batting sixth for the second straight game as the designated hitter -- is 7-for-19. Oakland's starting nine is 21-for-86 (.244) versus Sanchez, which the A's will gladly take after batting .174 with a .250 on-base percentage and .274 slugging percentage in the first two games of the series.

Yoenis Cespedes has been the main contributor for the A's, leading the way with four hits -- including a triple and a home run -- in eight at-bats. The A's have struck out 29 times through the first two games, and Brandon Moss owns six of them. If Oakland's slugger can start to turn things around, that will go a long way toward the A's taking a series lead.

Looking to jump-start a Tigers offense that's been held scoreless for the past 17 innings, skipper Jim Leyland inserted Jhonny Peralta into the lineup for Game 3 with hopes of the slugger providing the necessary thump to take the series lead.

Peralta has played just three regular season games since returning from a 50-game suspension in early August following the Biogenesis investigation. He'll play left field for a Tigers squad that's hitting .219 in the series, with a .254 on-base percentage and .250 slugging mark. Detroit's managed just two extra-base hits -- both coming in the first inning of Game 1 against Bartolo Colon -- through the first two games.

The rest of the lineup remains the same as Game 2. Peralta is batting two spots higher than Don Kelly did in Saturday's 1-0 loss at O.co Coliseum, bumping Alex Avila from the sixth spot to the seventh and Omar Infante from the seventh to the eighth.